<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3yRIFQ_0wBczJ9o00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3yRIFQ_0wBczJ9o00" width="1318" height="595" ><figcaption>(Left) Maumee senior Cody Wulf charges the field during a game against Genoa. (Right) Maumee senior Ryan Patterson goes up against the Rossford defense. MIRROR PHOTOS BY JODY SMALLEY</figcaption></figure>BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER | MIRROR SPORTS — When Maumee left the Northern Lakes League, who the Panthers biggest rival would be in the new league was a question that could only be answered with time.Two years into the Northern Buckeye Conference, it appears that the answer is Rossford.Maumee held off an emotional charge from the Bulldogs on Friday night, winning, 45-7.Emotions were running hot all game, but it reached a crescendo in the fourth quarter as both teams were whistled for personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.With less than two minutes to play and the result squarely put away, Panthers coach Evan Karchner had seen enough. He called a timeout immediately after his squad posted its final touchdown, having his entire roster take a knee around him as he reinforced what his expectations are of them.“I told our guys, ‘Hey, they’ve got nothing to lose. They’re going to turn their pads in here in a few weeks and we’re playing for a home playoff game. We don’t want to do anything stupid to get someone hurt or kicked out of the game,’” Karchner said. “That’s just not who we are. We don’t let other teams get us riled up.“As a team that’s trying to get on top of the hill and keep climbing, that’s something we’ve got to get better at.”That the Panthers (6-2, 3-2 NBC) were playing with any emotion was a departure from how they started. Coming out flat after a big win over Genoa the week prior, they led 10-7 early in the second quarter.Maumee added another TD to go back up 10, but Rossford running back Ronnie Hawkins nearly pulled off a shocking long run for a score. He fumbled just before crossing the goal line, however, and the Panthers took over when the ball bounced out of the back of the end zone.Leading 24-7 at halftime, it wasn’t nearly as comfortable for Maumee as the score would indicate.Senior lineman Pierce Simpson, who was named the 2024 homecoming king at halftime, wasn’t happy with how the Panthers began the game. Even the 38-point final margin couldn’t satisfy him.“After a huge win last week against Genoa, I felt like practice could have been harder for the players,” Simpson said. “We could have tried harder. Genoa was our big win and we kind of slacked off.”Maumee added three more TDs in the third quarter, the second of which kicked off the running clock.The Panthers out-gained Rossford 430 yards to 127, with quarterback Ben Kubicz throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns.Cody Wulf had his third straight 100-yard game, going for 114 yards and a score.Maumee scored on seven drives, with five taking up six or fewer plays while two third-quarter drives took seven and 11 plays. That combination of quick-strike offense and the ability to grind it out and run the clock is a trait that makes the Panthers’ offense uniquely dangerous.“That’s always our deal with having Cody and then all of those wide receivers,” Karchner said. “When we’re clicking, we can score fast, or I talk to coach (Shane) Kinnee and Ben (Kubicz) about milking the clock a little bit.”The Panthers will take to the road for the final time this regular season in Week 9, taking on Fostoria (2-6, 1-4 NBC). The Redmen beat Lake, 36-32, last week.</div></body>

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Panthers Win Third Straight, Take Out Rossford

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER | MIRROR SPORTS — When Maumee left the Northern Lakes League, who the Panthers biggest rival would be in the new league was a question that could only be answered with time. Two years into the Northern Buckeye Conference, it appears that the answer is Rossford.